Fort Dale Academy’s Anne Matthews’ desperation heave as time expired missed the mark and helped Pike Liberal Arts School escape with a 41-38 win Thursday night in Greenville.

After a 15-point second period helped the Lady Patriots (4-7) seize control of the contest, the Lady Eagles (5-9) scratched their way back into the game in the final 5:41 of play.

Fort Dale’s Nedra Toulmin Crosby knocked down a pair of free throws, Matthews added a pair of free throws and a jumper, Mary Sanford Perdue scored four points on a pair of drives through the lane and Barrett Leverette added a basket to trim the Lady Patriots’ lead to a single point with 24.3 to play. The Lady Eagles would never recapture the lead however, as Ellie Barron and Katie Ward gave the Lady Patriots just enough of a cushion with a pair of free throws inside the final 14 seconds of play.

“I’m tickled to get this win,” Pike Liberal Arts School head coach Robert Hawkins said. “To come to Fort Dale and win a game like this is an accomplishment for us.”

Hawkins said he felt the game’s second period proved to be the difference.

“We don’t really have that one ballhandler that can get us into our offense consistently against a man-to-man defense, and that was a big part of our problem in the first period,” Hawkins said. “But then in the second period, we got into a good flow offensively and were able to make some shots.”

Leverette led Fort Dale with 10 points, while Matthews added nine points and pulled down 12 rebounds and Nedra Toulmin Crosby chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds. Theresa Scott snagged 10 rebounds.

Ward and Marlee Tunstill led the Lady Patriots with 10 points each, while Barron added nine.